A UFO for November

 

This was not the one on my list, but it’s finished and I think that counts!

I missed the opportunity for photos when my tall quilt-holder son was home the other weekend, so had to wait until I visited a friend who had a space large enough to hang this up.

This is a Very Scrappy Braid.  Size 60” x 80”, and destined to be donated to a good cause. 

The quilt was made with 2 1/2” strips and squares and used some fabrics which had been sitting in the scrap drawer for a very long time. ( Is the drawer empty now? By no means.)  This was made as a class sample along with a planned version (French Braid) which still needs to be completed, so photos of that will follow at a later date. 

Just one quilt left on the 2012 UFO Challenge list.  Perhaps that one will be completed by month’s end! 

Technorati Tags: UFO challenge,scrappy,French Braid

One of life’s great questions answered!

Some time ago I posted about cleaning out my red tomato pincushion.  You can find that post here.  I remember being astounded at finding so many objects that had sunk inside nearly out of reach.

The other day I noticed crumbs on my cutting table.  Looking more closely I saw that the poor pincushion was leaking its sawdust stuffing.  I considered a mending job, but saw that there were too many breaks in the fabric.  Sadly I decided that this was the end of the line – the pincushion had been my mother’s and could easily be 50 years old.  The fabric had stood up very well during its long life.

As I held the pincushion and pondered its fate something poked my finger and I realized that even though I had removed 15 needles last year, there must still be a few left inside.  How many, I wondered – perhaps as many as 10?

Working over a dishpan I cut open the pincushion with scissors.  As I shook out the sawdust there was a glimpse of something shiny inside. Needles! (and a lump of mud mixed in with the sawdust!)

I carefully removed the needles and shook out more sawdust.  More needles!  More sawdust.  This is what I had when I had sifted through the last of the stuffing:

There were 67 needles inside!  A couple of sewing machine needles, several tapestry needles, LOTS of “ordinary needles” – sharps in various sizes.  Many of these must be left over from Mum’s days of sewing.  She sewed clothing and loved to finish hems and buttonholes with her fine hand-stitching.  I also found about a packet worth of my favourite crewel needles, the ones that are lovely and fine to sew with, but have a long eye that is easy to thread. 

To think that all these years I have been wondering where needles all go when they disappear.  I know that it is called a PIN cushion – perhaps that should be a hint that it will swallow the needles if I am foolish enough to put them there. 

 

 

Now the needles are tucked away (safely in a needle-book made of felt) and I should have enough to last for many years. But I feel rather bereft when I see the empty dish where the tomato used to sit. Even though I have plenty of other pin-cushions I know I will have to replace that red tomato.

 

 

Technorati Tags: pin cushion,needles

Snowflake Preemie Quilt

I’ve been enjoying playing with the Asterisk quilt block that has showed up on the Web.  One good set of instructions is here.


Sixteen six-inch blocks and one ten-inch block made a 36” square quilt which will be added to the collection for the preemies at our regional hospital.  The fabric came from my stash.  Batting and flannel backing were donated.
Small projects are such a great way to try out a pattern, use a bit of fabric and make something that will brighten someone’s day.

Technorati Tags: preemie quilt,asterisk block

UFO for October 2012

I was delighted to see that the number drawn for October was for a quilt that I completed in May!  That gave me a chance to finish something else instead.

I needed a quilt for someone special so I selected a nine-patch chain from my very healthy stack of “tops to be quilted”.  I’m guessing this one was pieced about 10 years ago, as the youngest fabrics that I recognize are from Year 2000 collections.  Other fabrics are older – there are pieces from family scrap bags dating back through the 90s and there is at least one piece that is more than 50 years old. 

 

The border fabric came from well-aged stash, and the last bit of it went onto the back along with a few other pieces that had been sitting on the shelf for too many years.

 

It feels so good to have this on its way to be used and enjoyed.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: UFO challenge,nine-patch

UFO for September 2012

 

I’m happy to report that progress was made on this month’s UFO.  I had a small pile of blocks, but the project was stalled because I couldn’t decide if I should make more blocks, make different blocks, etc.  So when I pulled them out of the box I decided they were going together somehow, no matter what! 

Instead of the originally planned long table runner the blocks became a square.  Whether this will be a table topper or a cushion or the centre of a larger project is yet to be decided. 

The project is based on Helene Knott’s pattern called Magic Squares, though I used a different construction method.   I love the three dimensional effect of the lights and darks in these simple blocks. 

 

Technorati Tags: UFO challenge,magic squares

Patchwork from Central America

 

One of the fascinating things about fabrics is discovering that we use textiles in our daily lives in the same ways as do women (and men) from other parts of the world.

My friend Megan found this pieced blanket when she was in Guatemala this summer.  She tells me the fabrics in it are the same as the ones used in that area of the country for making garments – so this is a genuine scrap project.  This blanket is pieced of squares and rectangles and it is backed with a piece of solid black fabric.  There is no batting and no quilting.  She has decided to add some ties to hold the layers together so that it won’t lose its shape completely as it is used and washed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Guatemala,textiles

August 2012 UFO

The UFO for August was my Log Cabin and Stars top.  No progress – not a stitch – was made on this. 

August was a very busy month. I was invited back to Along Came Quilting in Calgary where I met a group of ladies eager to learn how to use Electric Quilt software and we spent a busy three days exploring the program. (And I did manage a bit of shopping time in the store as well – so many beautiful fabrics to dream over!}

August was also full with extra days at work and time spent outside doing yard chores.

 

 

But some sewing did happen.  My Orca Bay top is close to completion. It will get simple borders – I just don’t have the heart to make more black and white units as called for in the original.  My sister says this reminds her of watermelons, so I think its name will be “Down by the Bay”.

Technorati Tags: UFO challenge,Orca Bay,Along Came Quilting